Julie Bishop to open February aid workshop
Julie Bishop, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, will open the proceedings of the 13-14 February Australasian Aid and International Development Policy Workshop. Attendance will be limited to those that have registered for the two day workshop. You can access the draft program here, and register here. (Note that registration costs $275; $165 for students.) You can also register separately for three of the other keynote sessions listed on the right.
Support Devpolicy
This month we have established a new method of funding for Devpolicy to crowdsource contributions from readers and contributors who like what we do and the independent voice that we provide. We can only be independent with independent funding. We are seeking support for our ongoing research and analysis, including the running of the Devpolicy Blog, and a new program of research into gender-based violence in PNG.
If you value what we do, enjoy reading our work, think that more attention needs to be paid to Australian aid and PNG and the Pacific, and think that an independent voice for the sector is important, you can make a contribution to the Development Policy Centre Endowment through ANU Philanthropy. Deductions over $2 are tax deductible. Payment can be made online with Visa or Mastercard. Other payment options are also available.
Upcoming events
2014 Australasian aid and international development policy workshop
9am Thursday 13 February – 5pm Friday 14 February 2014
Does foreign aid really work?
Roger C Riddell, Oxford Policy Management (OPM)
Thursday 13 February @ 10am
Forests for climate and development: what can rich countries do?
Frances Seymour, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Development
Friday 14 February @ 9am
Making their mark: the BRICS and aid
Dr Rani Mullen, Dr Tongquan Sun and Dr Sean Burges
Friday 14 February @ 1.50pm
The PNG Update will be held at the University of PNG in Port Moresby 12-13 June and the Pacific Update will here at the ANU on 16-17 June. We have a call for papers out for the PNG Update. More details on both here.
The next PNG Budget Forum will be held on Thursday 10 April at the National Research Institute in Port Moresby. The Forum will analyse the 2014 budget, and also release the next round of analysis from the PEPE survey. More details coming soon.
Blog highlights
Nauru’s implosion. Tess Newton Cain’s in-depth analysis of recent developments in Nauru not only highlights the breakdown of the rule of law in that country, but outlines Australia’s causal role. The Pacific Solution now looks like Nauru’s resource curse, and the country knows that it can get away with it.
MPs blogging. Bob McMullan, former Parliamentary Secretary for International Development, endorses the proposal of a Development Finance Company for Australia first put forward by Jim Adams in last year’s Harold Mitchell lecture.
John Langmore (like McMullan, a former MP for Fraser) supports the case for a universal social safety-net.
Aid cuts. Find out here what was cut the most to save $500 million from this year’s aid budget, and here about Australia’s reduced contribution to the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
Blog summary
You can find a list of all posts since our last newsletter on 15 January in the list below.
Australian aid
AusAID integration: the common-sense upside by David Guy.
Soap operas and Sesame Street: examples for the Australia Network? By Ashlee Betteridge.
Development Finance Company for Australia (and New Zealand) by Bob McMullen.
Australia cuts contribution to World Bank’s poor-country fund by $95 million by Stephen Howes and Jonathan Pryke.
Pacific & PNG
SPC Ardmona: what does it mean for Australian horticulture and the Pacific Seasonal Worker Program? By Jesse Doyle.
The Pacific Solution and Nauru’s coup by stealth by Tess Newton Cain.
Pacific Conversations: the economy of Samoa with Kolone Vaai by Tess Newton Cain and Kolone Vaai.
Agriculture in Samoa: changing farmers mindset is only one part of the solution by Afamasaga Toleafoa.
Global development policy
‘World’s best’ development NGO knocked off its perch by Jonathan Pryke.
A social safety-net in each country: a necessary condition for eradicating poverty? By John Langmore.
In brief
ODE releases long-awaited volunteers evaluation
Pacific seasonal worker arrivals up, but look set to fall short
Development economics in the Vanuatu context: one size doesn’t fit all
Can Bill Gates make us all optimists?
DFAT to consult on aid benchmarks, ACFID makes its pitch
Africa, the environment and disaster relief bear the brunt of Coalition aid cuts
Leave a Comment